Mr. Ultraman

This morning I met Dev at 0600 for a normal 5 mile run and we see a familiar person heading up the road running and sure enough it was Mr. Gil Loomis. He asked where Ben was and kept on trucking. Seeing this 58 year old guy running like the wind sparked up some conversation at work today and you ask who is Gil Loomis. Please keep reading you will see why he is referred to as Mr. Ultraman -



When most of us think about exercise, we think of spin class, running a few miles, laps in the pool, a bike ride out to the beach and back, lifting weights, or joining an aerobics class. Most of us struggle to do one of these a day, several times a week. Our goal? Getting or staying in shape; possibly even just passing the Air Force fitness test.
Some may have set higher goals; running a 5k or 10k race on base; or more times than not, we hear all the buzz about running the Honolulu Marathon and how to get there from here. That’s a daunting task for most of us. Others have picked up on the craze of triathlon and have entered some local triathlons and maybe, just maybe, dream of the big-daddy of them all, the Ironman. The Ironman is nothing short of self-torture, a grueling one day race completing a 2.4 mile open ocean swim, a 112 mile bike race, and a full 26.2 mile marathon; all back-to-back with the clock running. And, oh by the way, you must complete this in 17 hours or less, or be pulled off the course and your efforts not be counted.
The first Ironman was in 1978 on Oahu and was a bet between a swimmer, a runner, and a cyclist as to which type athlete was more fit. So the idea was conceived of combining the three Oahu events, the Waikiki Roughwater swim (2.4 miles), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (112 miles) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles), all in one day. The one who finished first would be called the Ironman. Fifteen men competed in the first “Ironman” race on Oahu, and now upwards of 1800 men and women toe the line each October in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii where the race is now held. These pros and age-group athletes from around the world come to see who is the fittest, or for most, just to finish.
“Committed”, that is what you may call one of our own Hickam AFB base employees, or you may say he should be “committed”. We have a world class athlete in our own backyard, training every day on Hickam. He’s not going for his first Ironman at age 56, nor his second, or tenth; no, Mr. Gil Loomis of PACAF/A2 will be competing in his 30th Ironman distance race on October 21st at the Ford Ironman World Championships! Now, you don’t just pay your money to line up in Kona in October, no, you have to qualify at an Ironman sanctioned qualifying race. So this weeds out the ordinary and keeps the World Championships an elite group from an elite worldwide pool.
I sat down and interviewed Mr. Loomis recently and here’s what he had to say.
JOHN: Tell me a little about yourself professionally.
GIL: I retired from the Marines in 1994 as a Lt Col doing infantry, recon, and intelligence. I now work in PACAF/A2 doing intel systems and resources. I am a dashing 56 years young.
JOHN: This will be your 30th Ironman. Is this just a number or do you have a goal in mind?
GIL: My goal is 50, but my physicians warn me about the wear and tear on my body and have recommended psychoanalysis!
JOHN: I agree.JOHN: Where have you raced your Ironmans, and what was your best time?
GIL: I have completed 15 at the World Championships in Kona and also raced on Oahu, Maui, Minnesota, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Idaho, and California. 1998 in Canada was my best time at 10 hours, 11 minutes, and 36 seconds, finishing 26th overall.
JOHN: What was your most difficult and most memorable Ironman? Favorite location?
GIL: Because of the course profile, the Maui Ironman was the most difficult, especially the west Maui mountains and the hilly marathon. I’d have to say the 1993 Ironman race in Kona was the most memorable because the winds were constant at 35-40 miles per hour and frequently topped 50. The winds were so bad that many had to dismount and walk the bike many times. The winds also blew the helicopter filming the event into the lava field. It was just unbelievable. Kona is my favorite location for sure.
JOHN: If there was one training or racing day you could wake up to every morning, what would it be?
GIL: I would wake up to any day that I could out pedal the entire HACC group. (Note: the HACC is the Hickam Area Cycling Club that meets every Tues and Thurs behind the Hickam gym at 1100 for a road bike ride)
JOHN: Gil….that’s not going to happen….you better think of something else!
JOHN: How many have you completed in one year?
GIL: The most I’ve done is twice in one year (several times), 6 weeks apart.
JOHN: Did you start first as a runner, swimmer, or biker?
GIL: I started out as a power lifter, as funny as that sounds. I was coaxed into running while stationed on the drill field, and took up marathoning.
JOHN: Gil, you have chicken-legs and a bird cage chest, how could you possibly have been a power-lifter? Don’t answer that.
JOHN: How long have you been doing triathlon, and how did you get started?
GIL: My very first triathlon was the United States Triathlon Series (USTS) in San Diego…it was a longer version of the current international distance. (Note: International distance is 1500meter swim, 40kilometer bike and 10k run). While recovering from a running injury, I took to the pool and continued with the weight training. I was sitting in the lounge chair with a Coors beer in my hand watching Julie Moss fall and crawl across the finish line in Feb 1982, commenting something like “that is the most insane thing I’ve ever seen”. My wife Cheryl stated “You’ve been swimming, and you can run. All you need is to bike, and that’s the easy part. You could do that race.” The very next day, a bike from a friend showed up at my front door. Apparently, the word was out that I had applied for the Ironman, which of course, I hadn’t. I was eventually coaxed into signing up, and was quite intimidated when I actually got accepted. Oh, on the part about the “bike being the easy part”…so wrong. Running is certainly my strongest event.
JOHN: What other endurance events have you done?
GIL: I’ve competed in three Ultramans, and numerous ultra-distance road and trail races including Run to the Sun, Old Dominion 100 Mile, Massanuten Mountain Massacre 50 mile, HURT 100K and others.
JOHN: Your license plate says Ultrmn? What is that all about?
GIL: Ultraman is a three-day stage race around the entire Big Island of Hawaii. Day 1 starts in Kona with a 6.2 mile ocean swim point-to-point to Keauhou Bay, and a 90 mile bike to Volcano National Park – mostly uphill. Day 2 is a 172 mile race on around to the northern end of the island at Hawi, which is where the Ironman bike turn-around is. Day 3 is a 52.4 mile double-marathon run back to Kona, primarily on the Queen Kaahumanu Highway through the hot lava fields. Each day must be completed in under 12 hours. The two bike legs, in my opinion, are arguably the hardest two bike rides I’ve ever done.
JOHN: That’s just insane Gil. You are an Ultraman!
JOHN: What events have you done this year?
GIL: I completed the Honu Half Ironman on the Big Island where I qualified for this year’s Ironman; the Triple Trek Trail race which is a 3 loop, 36 mile trail race up and down Tantalus; and the following day I did the Dick Evans Memorial Road Race which is a 112 mile bike race around Oahu. And I’d like to say to my fellow HACC riders, I could have finished faster if I hadn’t waited for some of you!
JOHN: What’s an average training week leading up to an Ironman and what does each day look like?
GIL: 4-5 miles swimming, 150 miles biking, 30 miles running, and 2 weight workouts. Sunday –Long run/long swim, Monday – weights, Tuesday – swim and bike, Wed – long run, Thurs – swim and bike, Friday – short run/weights, Saturday – long bike.
JOHN: Gil, you ARE crazy! I didn’t see a single day off. Do you remember that you are 56? I don’t know many, if any people who could keep up that workout regimen. So how do you stay motivated to get up every day to train?
GIL: I can’t put my finger on it. I think it must be an addiction. Is there a psycho-analyst in the audience?
JOHN: Do you ever take a break from all this training?
GIL: Rarely. Rest is an ugly four letter word. I do cut back on the distance and intensity for several weeks after an event.
JOHN: Do you generally train by yourself, or do you regularly train with others?
GIL: It’s a mixture of both. I have to juggle it around work, real estate, eating, and sleeping…and trying to maintain something of a home life.
JOHN: What does your wife think about all this?
GIL: Cheryl is also an endurance athlete. She has 3 Ironman finishes to her credit, has swum the northern Maui channel solo (13 miles), and has competed in multiple ultra distance races and 100-milers.
JOHN: That’s unbelievable. Does the Loomis household ever sleep?
JOHN: Were you both doing these sort of things when you met?
GIL: No. She got hooked after I had already landed in the boat.
JOHN: Do you have any advice to someone just starting out?
GIL: I’ve learned much over the years, some of it the hard way. There are many facets of the sport and many do’s and don’ts. In a sentence, the most important things to pay attention to are diet, sleep, hydration, electrolytes, proper equipment, training consistency, recovery, and commitment. Nothing gets handed to you in life…you have to want it.
JOHN: In closing what else would you like to say??
GIL: I am not a ROADIE. (Note: a Roadie is slang for someone who road-races bicycles). Seriously, there isn’t a person reading this that cannot complete an Ironman. I am not a particularly gifted athlete, but if you’re willing to train hard, sacrifice, and stay focused, you can accomplish anything.
JOHN: Gil, if you had completed one or two Ironmans, I’d believe that you were not necessarily a gifted athlete, but having been around you for as long as I have, I consider you world class, and I’m proud to be associated. Good luck at Ironman! 30 down, and 20 to go!



Article by John Girmsey